


On the ride home

by Strikearose



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Humor, Pining, Shikamaru's into maths, Slice of Life, Temari centric, Temari's a law student, slow building, they're on a bus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:00:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23826484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strikearose/pseuds/Strikearose
Summary: She instantly recognized him - the guy who had fallen flat on his face just the week before. There was no doubt about it: same bag, same stupid hairstyle. Of all the empty seats (that is to say, almost all of them) he had to choose hers'. Of course he had to.ShikaTema.
Relationships: Nara Shikamaru & Temari, Nara Shikamaru/Temari
Comments: 26
Kudos: 72





	On the ride home

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Français available: [Au prochain arrêt](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15990218) by [Strikearose](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strikearose/pseuds/Strikearose)



> Quick disclaimer : Homemade translation of an old story of mine (Prochain Arrêt), there must be some spelling errors so please don't mind them too much!

The card beeped and without any concern for the three youngsters heckling behind her back, Temari took place in what she liked to call _her_ seat. Right in the middle of the bus and a little higher up from the others - all she had to do was to reach out her hand to press the stop button and turn to forty-five degrees to get off. It was fast and easy : it only took her a few seconds.

Her bag on the right, near the window - within reach in case of a purse-snatching - and her, sitting on the other side, near the passengers: the message had the merit of being clear: _Leave me alone_.

Well, to be true, no matter what time or day it was the young woman always had that same affable look on her face - _condescending_ , some would say as she always hold her head a little too high, but that wasn't it. Welcoming smiles and casual chatting simply weren't _her thing_. Not on the bus, at least, when she was about to spend a long day at the university or waiting to go home, her mind still foggy from the classes she had to attend to.

Her day had ended unusually early today - it was a little after five o'clock - and Temari wanted to take advantage of it to chill on Netflix. The subscription was costing her an arm and a leg - well, quite a big amount compared to what use she made of it. It would have been easier to simply cancel the fees, of course, but she was sick of hearing Matsuri and Yukata squealing all the time about some cliffhanger or sexy actor...

She wanted at least to know what (and who) they were talking about.

And that was exactly what her plan for that new year was: to lead a _simple and enjoyable_ student life. The young woman had spent the entire summer working in a vineyard, knees on the ground and her back hunched over, picking up grapes. Physical labour didn't scare her - it kept her in shape, and she even had proved in the long run to be far more productive than her noisy male counterparts.

And on top of that, she had gotten herself a _really nice tan_. Her two friends who had sunbathed non-stop for two months were dying of jealousy because of that. All this hard-earned money set aside was going to allow her to stop working on the side for her final year of bachelor's degree. Temari had resigned from the coffee three months earlier and her father had even agreed to increase her child support for quite a bit. This year was going to be different from the others: she'd stop overworking herself and tried to maintain a healthy way of life (and of work).

The bus was moving through Konoha's city centre, slowed down by the two-way traffic and the sudden rain. The student sighed - still not used to this unpleasant climate, very different from that of her hometown - she tapped on her bag to make sure that her umbrella was still there. Fortunately, Temari was pragmatic. The bus came to a halt and the blonde woman cast a disinterest glance at the new travelers who were passing in front of her. Young people, old people - very old people.

She arched an eyebrow at the murderous glances that some shrews shot her (they couldn't take the seat next to her because of her damn bag) before finally turning her attention back the window.

That's when she saw him.

At first, the only thing she could see was the back of his head - a dark manbun. _Man_ , because the way he was standing and the black eastpak over his shoulder were making it pretty obvious. But what truly mattered was what had just happened: the man had just took a tumble-down the sidewalk. And his fall had been epic: his legs had twisted into a curious dance and he had lost his complete balance before finally ending on the ground, ass first.

The bus door that was just in front of him suddenly opened to let a last passenger off, and her loud burst of laughter escaped through it. The man must had a keen sense of hearing because he furiously turned his head towards her and gave her a dirty look before getting in and disappearing in the mass.

The road looked slippery but - thank god - Temari had good shoes on. The bus, now full to bursting point, was now on Sarutobi Avenue - meaning that only a few minutes were left until she could finally get off the bus and go back to her newfound quiet life.

"Next stop - Rokudaime."

She pressed the button and stood up. And then, she noticed him because of the backpack. His bun had fallen off, but the dark stain on the back of his blue jeans made her snort. With his right hand grasping the safety handle, he was turning his back to her _ostensibly_.

* * *

She got on the bus, greeted the driver, and passed her card over the scanner, stifling a yawn. First day of the week - and she already had to get up at six thirty. Temari had to admit that she wasn't at her best, but she had gotten there on time. It was still early so almost all the places were free, but _hers_ ' - the middle one near the door was taken. _Passenger and window side_.

It didn't happen often as people prefer sitting as close to the bus driver as possible. Well - it was early and it was no big deal.

Temari sat in the opposite direction - it didn't make much difference to her in the end, apart from the position of the door button. She was now on its' left side, facing her usual place.

_Wait a second._

She instantly recognized him. Him, the guy who had fallen flat on his face just the week before. There was no doubt about it: same bag on the right seat, same hairstyle. Of all the empty seats - that is to say, almost all of them - he had to choose _hers_ '. Of course he had to. _The opposite would have been astonishing._ The blonde squinted her eyes, trying to find out if the Thief wanted to provoke her, or had at least recognized her too but nothing. His gaze was fixed on the tips of his shoes. Temari shrugged.

It was only when she got off at her university bus stop that she realized he was asleep.

_What an idiot._

* * *

Second week of class and her sleep schedule wasn't getting any better. The weather had cooled down a bit more and Temari almost dropped her trench coat, caught between her bag and her arm, several times. She was late and had to run like a maniac across the street in order to be on time at the bus stop. She didn't pay any attention to the few complains she got from slow pedestrians she nearly bumped into.

The bus was already there when she arrived but the sporty young woman didn't hesitate and began to sprint despite the amused (and somewhat admirative) passers-by's glances. Her pulse quickened when she reached the door - it was now _make or break_. She put her finger on the touch-sensitive pad of the door and waited for a few seconds, full of hope.

One.

Two.

Three.

Nothing happened.

Her eyes suddenly met the obviously very amused gaze of a certain someone, through the window - of course, he had once again managed to take her seat.

All he had to do was to reach out his hand and press the door button. It wouldn't take him more than two seconds.

It was a simple gesture, any decent human being would do it with no hesitation.

He smirked - and the bus took off. Without her.

_Asshole._

* * *

She saw him over and over again in the days that followed. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. He was always there in the morning - no matter whether she started her class at eight or nine thirty. Somehow that thought reassured her - at least, it meant that his schedule was as crappy as hers.

Temari's habits had changed a bit - she couldn't have her usual seat because he had utterly stole it away from her. He was always in the bus before she could get in. So instead, she would sit across her former seat. _Right in front of him._

Then, the battle would start every morning, and she'd glared at him with all her pugnacity. That morning she arrived late in class was the day when pairs for the constitutional law lectures were forming - Matsuri and the other traitor had smiled at her weakly and the sentence had fallen: Tayuya, out of all the people in her year she had been paired up with Tayuya - an arrogant-looking redhead whom she had already gotten into trouble with last year. _That was fucking great_.

_And it was his fault._

Her ash blond eyebrows frowned even more and she shot him another angry stare. If the first few times he had responded with little vehemence, tiredness (or boredom) was clearly starting to win him over - he was now just looking at her circumspectly.

Temari knew she would eventually get him to give up - she was going to get her seat back.

_It might be a little childish, but Temari definitely knew how to hold grudges._

* * *

She didn't have to wait very long because at the beginning of the following week, Temari was surprised to find that her seat was free. The Thief was looking out the window, sitting in the row just behind it. She hesitated for a few moments as she saw his reflection yawning lightly.

_No - it wasn't enough of a pay-back._

As if nothing had happened, Temari chose to settle into what had become her _new customary seat_ , ignoring superbly the young man who was facing her. Her attention turned to the other passengers, there was only a few of them, at this hour of the morning. A brunette with skillful fingers was tying her hair with the help of her reflection in the window. Temari had to admit that she somewhat envied the beautiful strands of dark locks that looked so easy to handle - her own mope of rebellious curls was always giving her nightmare. And the volume seemed to have increased tenfold since she'd cut them at shoulders' level, forcing her to gather them into a bun that was a bit too messy.

Temari looked away when the brunette finished her two adorable macaroons, framed by a perfectly cut fringe that obviously had nothing to do with hers, which was too long. But going to the hairdresser took time and money - and the student didn't feel able to put up with the ordeal of your-hair-are-so-dry-are-you-sure-you-don't-want-to-try-our-brand-new-shampoo/conditioner/mask/vitality serum? No - for now, her own pair of scissors was more than enough. And she had much better things to do than moping over her hair. After all, it wasn't as if she had to complain, physically speaking.

_Nah - Temari knew she was hot._

Still, she was surprised to see the look on the Thief's face as he stood up to press the door-opening button.

He rolled his eyes at her before getting off, at, she noticed it for the first time, the Sandaime stop.

Sandaime? That guy was still in high school?

_He was definitely the one being childish._

* * *

Fate once again seemed to be working against her. She had arrived at the Thief's level steadily (as she would always do) when she suddenly realized that her new seat had once again been stolen away from her. _By a man oozing cheap booze, moreover._

Temari wrinkled her nose... and unable to turn back, she finally had to return to her royal seat. The one she had cherished for many months. The Original Thief sitting behind her didn't say a word, but she was sure he had that unbearable satisfied smile on his face.

Well - not of that really mattered. She had got what she wanted at last, hadn't she?

The student folded her arms around her chest... and then realized that the old thief (not the one behind her) was staring at her. The young blonde woman judged him with disdain. Not only did he stink of a mixture of cigarettes and beer, but two stupid red lines (probably lipstick) were crossing his face from eyes to chin.

He looked dumb, and annoyance turned into anger when he winked at her.

Temari crossed her legs and smoothed out a crease in her skirt - there was nothing she hated more than perverts on public transport. In such situations, there would always be assholes who'd retort that she should not dress so short if it bothered her so much. _Fucking morons_. Temari would never stop dressing the way she liked - and if it bothered anyone, she was ready to answer for it with her fists. Well, even though she'd rather not cause a scene in a public transport she had to use every single day.

The tanned young woman shot the old pervert a venomous glare - a glare that she'd had the chance to perfect recently thanks to the other jerk sitting behind her. Unfortunately, the effect wasn't immediate - his eyes left her legs to blissfully start ogling her v-neck. Then, they went slowly went lower (she almost shouted an insult) - and finally, they went far _above_ her.

Something seemed to make that gross smile fade away and he winced before mumbling something she couldn't understand, his eyes still fixed on a point above her head.

Temari turned away in one leap to face the Thief, expecting to catch him with a nasty grin, but nothing. He was staring at her bluntly with no particular emotion on his face.

"What?", he even seemed _bored_.

His voice was for some reason deeper than what she had expected. More assertive, too. He didn't seem to understand why she was looking at him like that - but he didn't seem to expect an answer either. The dark orbs had almost immediately detached themselves from hers to look at what was happening outside the window.

"Mpff."

The blonde sat back compliantly, but wrinkled her nose because of the bitter smell of old whiskey. The old man had gotten up from his seat to press the stop button. At least, he was leaving.

No sooner had he got off the bus than she gave him the one-finger salute. _Creepy drunkard_.

_The Thief laughed behind her._

* * *

Things were back to normal - Temari had regained her beloved seat and the Thief was now for some reason always sitting behind her. They didn't greet each other - he was already looking out the window when she got on the bus and she barely looked up from her book when he got off. The hatchet had been buried and the student was almost getting used to his presence behind her back. He was, after all, a lot less of a pain in the ass than those kids who squirmed in their seats listening to bad rap music and dragging their feet all over the place.

The Sun had came back for the first week of October. It wasn't a bad thing, but it was getting almost dazzling. The student squinted her eyes when a ray of sunshine hit the window at a red light. With the shadow that was being created, she could now admire her reflection in the glass that separated the seating area from the downstairs area. At first Temari, was annoyed to see that the tip of her nose was already shining (too much moisturizer?) but then, she noticed the silhouette behind her. She had no idea what was usually so exciting outside, but he was now looking _straight at her_.

Their eyes met and after a short while he stuck his tongue out at her.

She arched an eyebrow.

He waited for the bus to start up again to repeat. Once - with no reaction from her, then twice.

_Temari rolled his eyes. No - she wouldn't play this childish game._

But she nevertheless began to lose patience after five minutes.

"Stop it!", she grumbled.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

How on earth did he manage to sound so _blasé_ when she was the one who had to endure his childishness?

_Of course, he didn't wait thirty seconds to do it again._

* * *

He probably would have continued his childish little game the next day if something (or someone) hadn't interrupted them. Unlike the other times, the Thief had given her a sly smile when she arrived on the bus. Temari had, of course, ignored him superbly. Her reading for the week enthralled her for a good part of the journey, or at least until a noise forced her out of the book.

It was one of those unorthodox sneezes that cannot be ignored, because although correct etiquette made it impolite to pick on such an occurrence, it was purely impossible to pretend that it didn't happen.

_Ahwah_.

Startled, the young blonde woman turned in direction to the source of the sound - something the Thief had also done. There was only one guy in the back seat - a dark-haired guy who scratched his cheek as he saw all the heads converging towards him. His eyes suddenly lit up:

"Oh, Shikamaru, I didn't see ya here!"

At first, Temari thought that he was addressing her, and her eyebrows frowned when he did indeed get up and walk in her direction... To stop at Shikamaru's level.

"I didn't know you were also taking this line", the Thief - 'Shikamaru', said as he moved his bag to let the other one sit down.

"It's still early so I didn't expect to see you here. Well, normally I'd rather walk ya know, but I thought it might be a bit much for Akamaru's paws."

At these words, a small yelp - which Temari identified as the eruption of a few minutes ago - was heard.

"Wait, you're going to bring your dog to class?"

"I've got no choice, we have an appointment at 10:30 for his new vaccines. It was either that or I'd skip the whole morning off -"

"There's no way they're gonna let you in, you know.", the long-haired man said with a sigh.

"That's why I borrowed this bag from my sister. But, hey, if you're here, it's gonna work. You always have good ideas!"

"Pfff." Temari almost didn't understand the last part that more of a sigh than anything else. "What a drag."

The blonde haired woman finally gave up her reading for good in favor of the much more unusual exchange that was going on behind her back. Her fingers mechanically turned a few pages for good measure, but the amused grin on her lips was betraying her. After all, what could be so funny about the Second Volume of the Law of Persons and Family Law ?

Temari didn't know if the Thief realized she's been eavesdropping them, but he cast her a look before getting of the bus, rolling his eyes dramatically as if she was an accomplice of his.

* * *

Same day - 18:37. Temari wasn't expecting to see him again - since the fateful even of his epic fall, they'd only crossed paths in the morning, and never in _that direction_. The student was sitting in her beloved seat, craving to go home - her university stop was one of the first on the line so she had no trouble sitting where she wanted, as the bus would only began filling up near the city centre. It had been a bad day for her: the essay she had dedicated her weekend to had won a mere eleven, and she had also alienated the professor by contesting her grades.

Her grade wasn't that low - it was allegedly one of the best of the class, but that wasn't enough for her. Temari was a hard worker - mediocrity wasn't a good look on her - she gave herself the means to succeed and hadn't hesitated for a moment to sacrifice her quiet little life to Suna to enroll at the much more renowned Konoha faculty. Dad was a demanding man who had found the strength to face his wife's death in childbirth by immersing himself in work - and he expected the same from her and her brothers.

He had taken her decision to study away from home - away from the house and the four (or rather three) persons-daily-life he had built, as a kind of betrayal. He had agreed to pay her half of her rent and school fees, but didn't want to hear about the rest - "if _you're there it's for studying Temari. I know what young people your age are like, and I warn you! If you're not excellent,you'll come back here. I hope for your sake that lving in a "big city" won't change you_."

She sighed. Her nerves wouldn't get the best of her. It was hard - finding time to study, but also _time to live_. More than two years had passed since she had left home, but even though she knew she was making her family proud and securing a better future for herself, the latent feeling of missing out on something was working on her. More and more.

Matsuri and Yukata were average students - the latter had even spent the early part of her summer making up for her credits, but in many ways they seemed more accomplished. They were far too florid and naive (Temari had had to intervene more than once to protect them from guys whose intentions were far less well-meaning than theirs), but they were really living and enjoying their youth.

_And on days like these, Temari would have like to be as carefree as they were._

The bus resumed its journey and the young blonde woman turned her attention to the passengers who were beginning to crowd around her. Her gaze shifted, without really knowing why, to a group of young people who were talking heavily towards the middle of the bus. There were five or six of them, but one blonde head in particular stood out from the rest - it was quite familiar to her, but he was also blonde, strikingly blonde. Just like she was. It was quite a rare occurrence in this city where 80% of the population had dark hair. He was talking with animation to his little troupe, turning from time to time to an aloof-looking ( _and quite handsome_ ) man who'd then hummed him to shut up, and to the rest who were behind them. With his phone in one hand, he kept waving it around, pointing, it seemed, at something on his screen.

_That moron was going to drop it - or even better, to get it stolen._

And that's what happened less than a minute after Temari thought about it: his phone slipped out of his fingers and it only owed its' salvation to the quick reflex of the pretty-aloof guy who caught it just in time. The scene might have amused the young woman if the hero of the day hadn't reveal a familiar face when he'd bent down.

It was Shikamaru - calling him 'the Thief' was getting a little too boring. Accompanied by the guy with the dog (without the dog), and another chubby guy. This was the second time Temari saw him in a social context and she couldn't explain the sudden interest she felt.

Curiosity, no doubt as he, who always seemed so apathetic in the morning, was now wide awake. Well, almost. She turned her eyes away when she saw him yawning out loud - no, even then, surrendered by friends, he had to have that annoying phlegm.

Outside, darkness was beginning to fall over the city. Winter time had set in - it would now be dark when she'd take the bus to go to class, and dark again when she'd returned home. It was quite depressing - but fortunately the Christmas season would soon begin.

It was her siblings' favorite time - when they'd bring Grandma Chiyo's synthetic tree back in the house and fight to decorate it. Red, yellow, white, blue - even purple. Every year the tree ended up with more decorations than pine needles: it was something that very few people would have imagine of the Sabaku family - of the Siblings that impressed many people in Suna, but that's how it always was. She, Gaara and Kankuro always seemed to return to their childlike spirit for that occasion. As if they'd release all of the pressure of the entire year in that celebration.

A little more and she would, like Yukata did, start to count the days (or rather the two and a half months) separating her from Christmas.

Her attention was drawn back to the group of friends a few meters away from her position, and she was amazed to see that everyone - from the idiot who had almost broke his phone to the chubby guy to another blonde that she hadn't even seen - was staring right at her. None of them seemed disturbed by the fact that she had noticed them - instead, a few of them started giggling and the only girl of the group waved at her with a bantering smile that Temari wanted to rip off her lips.

Only Shikamaru, who gave her a hesitant glance, remained silent.

It was the final straw for her. After a day like that, all she wanted to do was to get out of her tight clothes, put on her pyjamas and sit in front of that old sitcom she was starting to like - she didn't need that attention today. Letting a bunch of little fuckers laughing at her? Not much for her.

She wouldn't lower to their level.

The bus stopped, as if by magic, and without taking the time to think twice about it, Temari pressed the door button and got off the bus, frowning and holding her head high. Yondaime stop - her actual stop was more than a quarter of an hour away.

_Great, all she had to do now was to walk the way home._

* * *

She did not see him again the following morning (or evening). Nor the one after that. Or the one after that.

The whole week eventually went by - and her anger began to fade away. If she had gotten on the bus the next day with the firm intention of getting an explanation - Temari had quickly realized that there was no way she could ask him directly that, either.

It would be given them - him and his gang of high schools kids - far too much attention.

They were now in the last week of October, and Temari found herself sitting in front of him again. There were no unwelcome smile or juvenile tongue-pulling. He was looking at the window and she was reading her textbook.

_They had returned to the starting point._

* * *

It was the last day before November, and of course another happy coincidence had to happen. It was around nine o'clock, and Temari tightened the embrace she had on her scarf. Temperatures had dropped suddenly - without warning. And catching a cold was the last thing she needed in this mid-semester period - not when they were so many presentation to do.

A dark-haired woman got on the bus and took a few minutes to find her ticket. Temari noticed from the corner of her eye the presence of a rounded belly. They exchanged a look as she passed by and despite the shawl covering the top of her jaw, the young blonde woman tried to smile back.

"Excuse me, young man..."

She straightened, surprised. Temari had grabbed her bag when she heard the beginning of the sentence - after all, even she was willing to give up her seat to a pregnant woman without question, but the rest made her froze on place. She heard the crumpling of clothing and before she could even realize it, the former thief was standing next to her, helping the mother-to-be to sit down and putting her grocery bags on the now empty seat.

Their eyes met and, grumbling, Temari took her purse and shifted it onto the window seat.

"Thank you", Shikamaru said.

_She didn't bother to answer._

* * *

When she got on the bus the next day, the Former Thief was where he had sat the day before. He got up to let her pass before sitting down next to her. He had graciously given her the window seat - and incidentally the view he so much seemed to love. Temari later thought that it must be purely for practical reasons - he was getting off the bus before her, after all.

She didn't wonder why he did that. Although the bus was a little busier - brave pedestrians becoming scarcer in the weather which was barely ten degrees, there were no pregnant women this time.

_But curiously, she had somehow expected it._

* * *

Neither one of them were of the chatty-type. They nodded to each other when she arrived, she had once asked him what time it was in order to see if her watch was still working and he told her "good luck" when she took the revision sheets out of her bag.

_The idea of changing seats wouldn't have occurred to any of them._

* * *

Mid-November. It was starting to get really cold. And, Temari hated herself for it, she had a cold. With her hair more messed up than usual, the pallor of her complexion and her reddened nose, you could see that from miles away, and to make things even worse, the young woman, who was running late once again, hadn't had time to put make-up on either. She, in one word, looked awful that day.

Temari got on the bus, taking great care to hide most of her face in her scarf. She didn't want to hear the remark that would come as soon as she'd sit down. She and the Former Thief had taken the habit to made sneaky, harmless, comments at each other during the ride. Exchanging sarcasm in the morning was actually quite fun.

"Hi."

"'ello", it was only two syllables, but her voice went off the rails anyway.

Great - she thought she'd able to conceal her condition for a little while, but of course it didn't work out. Temari folded her arms and waited for the snarky comment to come.

…

Nothing.

Did he take pity on her? Temari had to admit that she wouldn't mind if he gave her a break that day.

_Achoo_.

"Take this, it's much more effective than putting a scarf around your head instead of your neck."

The dark-haired man, _a real gentleman_ , handed her a tissue that she accepted with a sniff of contempt.

_Instead of taking just one, Temari ended up stealing the whole packet._

* * *

Third day of December. Only two weeks left until the long-awaited holiday. That morning, Temari wasn't alone. Kankuro, her brother, followed her into the bus. He'd shown up at her apartment, unannounced, the day before, luggage in hand, telling her that he'd stay until the end of the week. A large number of academic courses were available in Konoha and he had received the permission to attend to some university classes.

It was bullshit - they both knew it. Kankuro had no interest or whatsoever in economics - he had the soul of an artist, but not the guts to tell their father. His vacations in the big city was only going to serve him one purpose: chatting up girls in the auditorium - and fortunately for Temari, not _hers_ '.

When they arrived at Shikamaru's level, the law student saw him staring at Kankuro with a puzzled look before giving her a curious glance.

"Tem', are you coming?"

She hadn't had time to explain to him what was happening (and why exactly should she have done so?) as her brother had already slumped on a seat at the very back of the bus.

It was her turn to roll her eyes to heaven and offer a pinched smile to Shikamaru as she walked past him.

**

The following week, Temari was finally back to her beloved seat. And she had to admit that she wasn't expecting the question:

"My boyfriend? Eww, no. That's gross." The grimace of disgust that stretched her lips wasn't fake. "It's my little brother, he wanted to see the big city."

She'd had a hard time getting him to leave, but Kankuro had finally returned safely to Suna.

"Oh, wow. You guys look nothing alike."

"Thank you, I appreciate the...-", he cut her off.

"Well, I guess he's the one who should say that."

Temari glared at Shikamaru and waited for him to defuse his comment with a "I was just joking" or a smile - that's what he'd always do when he feared he'd upset her for good.

But nothing came.

_Except another yawn._

* * *

Second week of December. Temari couldn't remember how, but she had started talking to him (with probably way too much enthusiasm) about her Christmas plans. From the Egyptian dessert she was about to make to honor her heritage, to her lack of ideas for gifts - the law student realized after a while, embarrassed, that she had monopolized the conversation.

He didn't seem to mind and even asked a few questions about Suna's traditions and rituals.

It was the longest - and by far the most intimate - conversation they ever had.

The doors of the bus opened and Temari saw that they had already arrived at his stop. But Shikamaru, strangely enough, didn't make a move to get up.

"Well, you're not getting off the bus?", her curiosity got the best of her.

"No."

"I thought you went to Sandaime High School."

There was a blank before he finally agreed to answer:

"I'm waiting to see where _you_ get off."

She frowned, perplexed.

"And didn't you think it would be easier to ask me directly?"

"Well - you could have find it suspicious...", Shikamaru seemed to hesitate for a moment before continuing. "And I wasn't sure you'd even answer in the end."

"Yeah, because waiting to see where I get off isn't suspicious at all...", she snickered.

He scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed.

There was a pause.

"So...", he cleared his throat. "What do you do?"

"I'm going to the Hashirama university, so I stop at Shodai."

"I see. Law?"

She stared at him for a moment before he made the decision to justify himself:

"Before you get the wrong idea, that's what on your books." He motioned to the manual that was on her laps. "And I'm not in high school anymore, actually, I graduated last year. I'm in a prepatory class."

"I see. And you're there for..."

Temari gauged him up and down trying to find what course he could be following. Unsuccessfully. She had no idea of what this lazy-smartass' interests were.

"Advanced maths" Shikamaru sighed and answered her silent question. Yeah, sometimes he didn't get it either.

The law student arched an eyebrow but understood he was serious when she saw his expression.

And then it tilted:

"Ah, and where exactly is that?", she was mocking him, already knowing the answer.

"Near Sandaime High School", he grimaced as he saw her proud smile and folded his arms. "Pff, it's not that far from where you're stop and I'm ahead of schedule so I'll be fine..."

_They continued to chat until her stop._

* * *

17:03. Her midterm exams were finally over. Temari bid farewell to Yukata and Matsuri, who were waiting for her outside, one last time and she walked towards her bus was crowded - it was quite normal for the beginning of the holiday period - but as she couldn't find any vacant seat, the young woman was forced to stand and grab the bar fulls of germs. Gosh, she hated this.

The bus almost didn't seem to move despite how much she was eager to get cozy at home, it was because of that damn traffic. She glanced at the old women who were comfortably sitting at the front of the vehicle, and then at that annoying little girl who was spreading pastries' crumbs all over the place - gosh, she had never missed her beloved seat more than in that instant.

The robotic voice announced that they were approaching Nidaime. Meaning that they were one stop before the Former Thief's who was probably still in class. He had told her that very morning that he too had several exams in the afternoon - to which she had retorted that he'd better be serious and not fall asleep on his copy.

The doors opened - and Temari couldn't tell if she was really surprised to see him come in. There had already been so many funny coincidences that she didn't to know why and how it would happen.

The law student nearly waved at him before she changed her mind - no way. She sincerely hoped that his noisy, childish friends (because although they had never talked about what happened, she still hadn't forgive their attitude) weren't with him. Well - in the end she didn't have to give more thought about it - the young man seemed to notice her almost immediately. And judging by the way his eyes widened he certainly wasn't expecting to run into her either. He laboriously tried to approach her, moving through the crowded passengers - she smirked at that sight but took at step aside to make room for him.

_She definitely hated that spot._

They were forced to speak in a low voice, but they learned that neither of them had encountered major difficulties in their exams, except for how crowded the bus was. The doors opened again and new people got in the vehicle. Temari almost got separated from her Former Thief - a weird forty-year-old guy, dressed in a bottle-green tracksuit tried to get right between them, but her brown-haired companion blocked his way by grabbing her purse with one hand.

That gesture made her laugh, and he threw her a bored look as he stepped aside to let an old geezer move.

The smell of his aftershave reached her for the first time.

_It wasn't that unpleasing._

Most of the ride - although it didn't mean much because of the traffic - was done in silence. It was hard to hear and to be heard between bawling kids and the music was coming from everywhere.

"Hey...," the Former Thief cleared his throat and she turned her attention back to him.

"Yeah?"

"Maybe we could go grab some coffee?"

Once again, Temari couldn't pretend that his invitation really surprised her. It was something she knew would happen...

And maybe something she has been looking forward to.

Maybe.

"You're asking me out on a date?"

She was blunt, as always, but it was more of a rhetorical question. Well - she thought she pretty much knew what his intentions were, but she wanted to set the record straight anyway.

For the both of them.

Well - she might have been a little too loud this time because several heads turned to look at them. Some of them even winked and whistled.

"Well...", he raised an eyebrow, clearly uncomfortable. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"Okay", she chuckled.

"Okay? You mean for the coffee or...?", the usually composed man seemed quite nervous.

"Depends, where are you planning to go?"

Her question seemed to catch him off guard, but Temari wasn't going to waste even one penny in a too expensive or too mediocre bar. Unless, of course, he'd offer to pay for her drinks - that would be quite logical for him to do, as he was the one asking her out, but still - she'd refuse. She didn't want to owe him anything on _their first date_.

"Kaimatari is not a bad place.", she looked surprised at his suggestion.

"Oh, I used to work there."

"Yeah, I know."

Temari couldn't tell if those words had simply escaped his lips, but when she furiously raised her head to face him, he was blandly looking at her. What? Was he _expecting her_ to _expect his answer_?

Then it clicked.

She suddenly realized why his noisy blond friend's face looked so familiar.

_A loud group of five or six friends, with way too many and varied orders - well, at least they tipped well._

_Oh._

"Uh", she hesitated. "What makes you think I want to go where I used to work?"

"Don't you want to see how it is from the other side of the counter?", he replied matter-of-factly.

_Touché_.

"Wait a second."

She suddenly realized something important.

"We don't even know each other's name, you know that?"

Well, it was _half a lie_ , but she had her principles. They had never bother to introduce themselves properly.

He seemed to also remember that fact - he looked at her with an amused look.

"Well," he hold out his hand to her. "I'm Daimaru."

He was mocking her. 

Shikamaru. 

_Shikamaru Nara_. That's what his Facebook profile stated.

"That's not your real name", she almost felt proud of herself for not falling for it.

Shikamaru smiled at her:

"Good catch, _Temari_."

She frowned and he rolled his eyes in return :

"It was on the badge of your uniform. And I have a pretty good memory."

She laughed upon hearing his answer but didn't have the time to tease him about it:

"Well, we're almost at the stop now," he was glancing at the window behind them. "So... Do you want to? For the coffee I mean."

"Why not?"

**_They got off the bus together at the Yondaime stop._**

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed the story. Please feel free to let me know what you thought of it <3


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